Masquarade
by RosePedal51
Summary: Nina arrives at the masquarade ball, hoping to see Fabian. Then, when she drops her ring in a rushed exit, he looks for her, but there's already a girl posing as the stranger- Joy! Will he find her, and the truth, before it's too late? Fabina, Patrome
1. Beauty is From Within

**I know- I'm busy with my other stories, but this story is original and I just couldn't help it. **

**IMPORTANT: The outfits are on my PROILE! Check them out! :)**

**I don't own House of Anubis. **

_**Nina's POV**_

I stepped through the doors and felt eyes on me. A lot of eyes. I tried to ignore them, stepping lightly into the school cafeteria, the heels on my shoes making loud clacking noises as I walked passed three girls, all in brown dresses.

My dress made me feel like a princess, with it's blue folds of color, blue belt under the chest, and above that squads of fake diamonds. My hair was curled in glossy riglets, tied in a sleek bun and held together with a large silver pendant. Not to mention my blue high heels, blue mask, and diamond ring that Gran gave me. I flashed back to the moment she gave it to me.

_"So, you're going to the Masquarade dance, hoping to catch the eye of your crush- what's his name, Fabian?" Gran had asked me, her kind blue eyes twinkling. _

_"Yeah. But he could go out with Joy if he really wanted to," I said, and Gran's eyes lit up- she had a brilliant idea. _

_"Nina- I have something to show you," She whispered, scurrying out of the room and coming back quickly, holing a tiny velvet box. She slowly lifted the lid, and when I saw what was inside I gasped. There, in the small slit, was a ring; but not just any old ring, but a white-gold one with a glittary diamond that shimmered in the light. _

_I stared at the beautiful ring. "This was your great-grandmother's. It was her wedding ring, and then mine, and finally your mother's. She had it on the morning of the accident, but it survived without as much as a scratch or burn. So I suppose that the ring has some kind of magic in it. And now, it's yours. Remember to only wear it when neccesary, until you are married. Impress that Fabian guy, he's yours already and I can tell." She said, patting my hand, the one that held the ring. _

Immediatly I spotted Amber: a strapless hot pink dress,a pink and black mask with a flower to the side, hot pink shoes with a bedazzled heel, but you should have seen her eyes. They were done up in eyeshadow, obviously, but she did a smoky eye- with fuschia and purple and a sparkly magenta. It was really pretty and dramatic and everything, but it was definiantly an 'attention grabber.'

I edged a little closer until my best friend noticed me. Then she saw me and made her way over.

"Oh my God, I love your dress!" Amber said.

"Thanks," I whispered. Her eyes widened.

"Nina?" My name sounded alien in her mouth. "Is that really you in there?" When I nodded, she unleashed a huge grin. "You look amazing! Fabian will ask you to dance _for sure_."

"I hope so... but you look great, too, Amber," I said sincerely, the edges of my lips turning up into a smile.

"If you think I look good, just look at Patricia!" We turned to look at Patricia and Mara, who were talking to each other.

Patricia was wearing a one-shoulder purple mini dress and she had on a dangly black beaded necklace, a black mask that looked a little feline-like somehow, black heels, and a ring with thick a black band of black diamonds in-between two thin strips of regular white diamonds. She had on a little pink lipstick and she did a smoky eye, too- minus the bright colors. Patricia looked really, really pretty, I could see a few guys looking at her out of the corner of their eyes.

Mara burst out laughing at something Patricia said, and I turned my attencion to her.

She was wearing a one-shoulder mini dress, like Patricia, but they looked completely differant. For one, she was dressed from head to toe in black-and-white. The abdomen of her dress was white with lacy black roses, and the skirt was white with a black ruffle. She had black and white bangles on her arm that clattered together when she moved. Her mask was white, her high-heels were black with a flower on them, and her make-up was natural. Her hair was curly (as always), and styled to go over her right shoulder.

"Everyone looks incredible," I decided.

"Tell me about it!" said Amber. "Now I'm going to go vote for prom queen- and I'm not even going to vote for myself!" That was pretty much the ultimate sacrafice, so I gave her another smile.

I stood there, alone, for another minute, scanning the crowd. Then I saw him- Fabian, dressed in a tuxedo (like every other guy), with a white _Phantom of the Opera _mask taking up half of his face.

He was talking to a girl with a lavender dress, shoes, and her mask was lavender, gold, and had a splash of red. Her hair was tied back, half up and half down.

The only part of the conversation I heard was "You're so funny!" before I interrupted.

"Hi," I said. "Can I stand here for a while? I'm-"

"Alriiiiiight," cut in the American DJ over the microphone. "It's time to slow things down a little bit. Now, ask that special someone to dance, and hold them close." A slow song started to play, and the groups startd to thin out. People started dancing together. The Girl In Lavender was about to say something, but a blonde guy swooped in and asked her to dance, and soon they were both on the ballroom dance floor, but she was dissapointed.

Fabian eyed me, probably wonedering when I would go away.

I had just about wandered off when he said, "Want to dance?" I nodded, too happy for words, and took his hand.

He led me onto the dance floor and we began to sway. I expected it to be awkward, but instead it was fantastic. We just talked, mainly about Science.

"Do you mind me asking why you're wearing such a big diamond to a dance?" Fabian asked.

"Well, my grandmother gave it to me. She said to wear it for luck and that it had been in my family for generations. So..." I shrugged, before grinning jokingly. "At least my face isn't covered up in an old-school mask."

"You're really easy to talk to, you know?" Fabian laughed.

"You too." I said, smiling.

And then it happened. He leaned over to me and _kissed_ me! For I second I was too surprised to do anything- but then I kissed back. It was simply incredible. There were sparks, threatening to fly everywhere, and eveything melted away. When he pulled back, I was slightly light-headed.

The clock struck twelve. "Oh, God, I'm sorry, but I have to go back home! I'll see you around?"

Before he could say anything, I bolted away from Fabian and rushed back to the house, not stopping until I was in my room. I stayed there, panting, for a second before I pulled out my laptop from under my bed and logged into Skype.

This was the reason I was home- to video-chat with my BAF, Best American Friend, Gina Hollowart.

"I had to leave early," I said immediatly to the face on my screen.

Gina is Spanish and Indian. Her skin is a rich brown, her hair is long and glossy and black, and her eyes are big bowls of melted Hershey kisses. She speaks perfect English, and had teeth that are bright against her dark skin. In case you don't get what I'm trying to get at, I'll just say it- she's beautiful.

"You did?" She asked, and her eyes filled with sympathy. "I'm sorry. It's just that this is the only time I can talk to you, and we only get to see each other every two weeks..."

"I'm not mad, Gina. Actually, I'm happy to see you. Let me tell you all the details..." I noticed something. "Hey, where's my ring?"

"I didn't see it," my BAF said.

I looked down at my bare finger. "Oh no," I groaned. "I think I left it at the dance!"

**5 reviews or no update!**

**Yeah... this is iffy. But review and I'll make this waaaaay better! **

**~RosePedal51**


	2. The Gorgeous Runaway

**Yeah, this is kind of like Cinderella, but with a MAJOR twist. Enjoy!**

**I don't own House of Anubis. **

_**Fabian's POV**_

I was dancing with the most beautiful girl on the planet, if not the universe. She seemed oddly fimiliar, like it was obvious who she was.

"At least an old-school mask isn't taking up half my face," She teased, her voice brushed with a slightly heavy American accent. Well, most of the Sibuna Club's was (except for Patricia, who stubbornly held on to her regular voice). Hers was _much_ stronger than any of ours- but maybe she had another American best friend.

My heart felt a quick stab of guilt. Nina was once my prom date- but that was last year.

Let me explain. Ever since the dance Mara planned, everyone has loved the idea of dances. So now there's an end-of-the-year prom every, well, year.

Now for the explanation about me and Nina. We were dating, briefly, but then came summer vacation. She went back to America while I visited my family in Italy. We kept in touch, but there were things to think about- the time differance, how she was with her friends or Gran a lot, and I was spending time with my family or sightseeing. We texted and called, but that was it. Then when we were back in Anubis house, we were the "perfect couple."

Eventually we got casual. It wasn't love- we both agreed. Not love, but a serious crush. Then came Joy, who accepted me and Nina's relationship, but things were awkward for the next month. Things settled down after that, but then came a new mystery- we had to make sure Rufus was gone, dead, and during that time we were more _partners_ than_ couple_. The mystery was over much too late. We were back to that shy crush stage, and I wasn't sure if she still liked me, but I told her telling Amber that 'he' was, and I qoute, "really cute." So I lost hope.

The stranger was definiatly helping me get over her, though.

The clock struck twelve. She looked up at it, mumbled an excuse for leaving, and rushed off.

"Wait-" But the girl was gone before I could ask for her name, or even her phone number.

She was gone, had slipped through my fingers like sand. I stood there alone for a second, before I saw something- a sparkly thing lying on the floor. Reaching over to pick it up, I got a closer look. It was a ring. When it was in my hands, I stood up and looked at it closer. It was the _stranger's_ ring!

* * *

><p>So the next hour of the dance was boring.<p>

Well, me and the stranger Amber announced as a "beautiful, anonymouse girl" won prom queen and king. When I told her, blushing, that she left early, Amber seemed a little annoyed, but not at me.

"I'll give it to her," She said, sighing. I didn't notice until later that she meant that she knew who the stranger was.

Then, into the microphone, she said, "Okay, the prom queen's feeling a little, ah, shy. So why don't all the couples out there start dancing for the queen and king?"

Couples drifted onto the dance floor. They danced and laughed and a few kissed. In fact, there was only one couple I knew that was missing- the girl with the lavender dress and the big blonde jock that wasn't even wearing a mask. She was standing nearby, looking in my direction.

* * *

><p>It was morning. I was up, bright and early, at 9:30 AM. I had gone to bed at two-something last night, but I guess one of the benefits of getting eleven hours of sleep a night is that you can go awhile running on six hours or less.<p>

Nina, Trudy, Victor, and I were the only ones awake. I felt a little irritated, because Trudy said we have to "eat together, like a family," and noone else was awake, and my stomache was slightly growling.

Oh, and the angel from last night was gone. Did I mention that?

Anyway, Nina wasin the common room, reading a thick book. She was smiling and humming to herself happily. She looked beautiful, her unbrushed hair thrown in a bun atop her head, her face bare of all make-up (she doesn't need it), and, since she didn't know I was awake yet, she was in her pajamas.

"Hello, Nina," I said, walking in, as if I was just coming in and hadn't been watching her. "What'd you do last night?"

"Oh, um, I kinda went to the dance for a while, but then I came back here early to video-chat with Gina." Her voice has changed since she's been at Anubis for almost two years, including summer.

Her American accent was still there, and strong- just mixed in with a British one. She still used American "slang," as my mom would call it, and she still used words like flashlight instead of torch, but she now knew what these words meant. I liked her voice- it was pretty and unique, like her.

_Hold on,_ I thought. _You have to find the mysterious girl from last night. At least give her the ring back. Don't think about Nina, or how gorgeous she looks today..._

Why did Nina have to look prettier than ever, right when I found the girl to help me get over her?

"... And what did you do?" She asked me, closing her book.

"I met a... friend. And she dropped something. One problem: how do I know who this girl is, so I can give her the thing?" I asked her carefully. Nina was smart, and a girl, so why not?

"Well, just ask Amber to ask everyone if they dropped their ri- their thing." She said, giving me good advice.

Then a cheery blonde named Amber walked in and said, "So you want me to ask everyone who the stranger was?"

I nodded, used to the fact thet she was eavesdropping- someone always was in this house.

**5 reviews, at least, before an update. **

**Sorry, I couldn't find a good ending for this! **

**~RosePedal51**


	3. Patricia's Night

**To answer some reviewer's questions: yes, there are some other couples, and Nina is the stranger. **

**I don't own House of Anubis. **

_**Patricia's POV**_

The cafeteria was crowded and decorated. It wasn't really my style, so I kind of hovered by the wall, and Mick was sick, so Mara hung out with me, mostly.

Amber was talking to someone in a pretty blue dress, and they both glanced at me. I pretended not to notice, but mentally I cursed myself for wearing purple- and even worse, a dress. Mara laughed at something I said, and Blue Dress's eyes averted to her.

The two girls went in differant directions, Amber to Alphie, her date, and her friend went to Fabian. I wondered who she was, because she seemed really fimiliar.

The doors swung open, and there was Mick, in his tux, looking ten times better than he did only hours ago. He made a beeline for Mara.

"Look who's coming," I whispered, and Mara looked over.

"Hi, Patricia," Mick said to me, while looking at my best friend. "Hello, Mara. Would you like to dance?"

Mara looked hesitistantly at me, and I gave her a little nod, and then she took Mick's hand and then they got lost in the crowd.

I went outside to get some air. It was nicer out here- with the music pulsing distantly, plus no one else was out here, so I felt alone, but in a good way.

I sat on the ledge of a stone fountain and looked up at the stars, which were shining brightly. I traced lines in the water with my petite finger. The water was cold and fresh and made me feel kind of happy- well, as happy as I could be at a dance.

"What are you doing out here, Trixie?" Jerome asked, walking towards me with his hands in his pockets.

"Does it matter, Slimeball?" I asked in my usual annoyed tone.

"Why, of coarse it does, Patricia," He said in a formal voice. In spite of myself, I gave a small smile, but it quickly vanished.

I shrugged. "It's better out here, I guess."

Jerome gave me a smirk at my sterotypical answer, and I felt my face growing hot as blush creeped in. Good thing I had that type of skin where it always stays it's original pale shade, the one that stays the same color year round.

Back to the dance.

"What are _you_ doing here, Jerome?" I sneered slightly.

"Ah, well, I came to figure out a good prank to play on Alphie before the prom is over," He said. Well, at least the prankster had an excuse. "And I'm not going until you leave." Jerome added.

"Oh, really? Because I'm not leaving," I said.

"You don't think I can wait you out?" Slimeball replied, scoffing.

I leveled myself with him as he sat next to me on the ledge (he already knew this was gonna take a while). "No, I really don't." My voice rang out proud and confident- he knew I was serious and he gave me a competitive glare.

We both sat there, glaring, stuck with our own stubborness.

Eventually I went back to looking at the stars, and the moon had come out. It was full and pretty, and as bright as the sun was in the daytime.

Then someone pushed me. My outstretched arm closest to the fountain hit the water and then my palm hit the rough stone floor. It only went up to my elbow. I looked up, surprised and angry, and saw none other than Jerome smirking at me.

"You jerk!" I yelled, splashing him.

He laughed. "Ah, pushing a distracted girl in a fountain. Never gets old."

I glared. "So you think I'll just stand here and take it, huh?"

"Well, the princesses usually do." He smirked.

Princess? Was he kidding me? I had a backbone, hadn't worn pink in exactly four and a half years, and prided myself in having both a brain and a limited make-up supply. Eyeliner, mascara, and sometimes lip gloss was pretty much where my field of make-up ended.

"Yeah? Well this princess is about to kick your butt!"

He ran off, me chasing him. The Slimeball was laughing. That really ticked me off, only making me run faster.

We were just sprinting in circles, so eventually I caught up with him and yanked his arm.

"Ow," he said, with a roll of his eyes. I gave him a little push, and he gave me a _Big mistake_ look.

"Oh!" He said, feighning surprise. He was wthout a doubt the worst actor I'd seen in a very, very long time. "I'm going down, Patricia!" And with that, Goldilocks here grabbed me and brought me down with him.

"You're so stupid," I snarled as I sat up.

"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud." He said with the recognizable glint in his blue eyes.

The music was still throbbing, but the beat was much slower. I watched as Jerome got up and did a goofy bow. "Care to dance?" He asked in a phony British accent, in stead of his actual one. I let a small smile escape, because that's exactly how Nina sounded when she attempted to talk like us.

"Why, I would be delighted," I answered, using the same tone.

So I took his hand, and we danced.

_Okay, Patricia, _I thought as I spun under Jerome's arm. _You're officialy losing it. 'It' being my sanity. _

"This is really a wierd night, huh?" I asked the tall figure in my normal voice. He nodded with a small smile before spinning me again.

Then we kissed. And I liked it.

_Losing it?_ My thoughts interupted. _It's already gone. _

**5 reviews, please, before the next update. **

**Patricia is a little OOC, I know, but this was the best I could do at the time. **

**~RosePedal**


	4. Afterthought

**This does have some Fabina, so just bare with me, and the next chapter will be pure Fabina romance. **

**I don't own House of Anubis. **

_**Jerome's POV**_

Wow, last night was... surprising. Interesting, like one of the horror movies you can't bare to watch, but at the same time you can't look away. Was last night a horror movie? No, it was too real and too (okay, I'll say it) nice too be a horror movie.

There was only one thing that couldn't help but purplex me. I felt something. A spark, like I had felt with Mara only a year before.

I sat my head back against the wall as I thought some more.

A year had gone by fast. I gave up on Mara, and had moved on completely. She was actually kind of a dull every once in a while, but other than that she was okay. So I'd done my usual this year so far- pranks, fun, and I mixed in a pretty girl when it got boring.

Patricia pretended that nothing happened, greeting me with her daily insult that morning. I went along with it, but was still kind of shocked.

"Dinner!" Trudy called up the staircase, interupting my thoughts.

I joined the race down the stairs. Everyone swarmed the table before taking a seat.

* * *

><p>After supper, everyone was gathered in the common room, and it was kind of quiet, with the occasional murmer of "What did you get for number three?" or "No, Amber, I don't want to play a game on FaceBook with you."<p>

I was simply listening to music, the headphones plugged into my iPod the same color as marshmellows. Eventually, around the third or fourth song, I couldn't help but let my eyes wander over the Anubis members.

Mara. The girl I used to have a crush on. She was beautiful, smart, caring. Truthfully, Mara and her perfect self wasn't really my type.

Patricia. The feisty redhead. Goth, unpredictable, gorgeous, an amazing blackmail artist... Wait, slow down.

Amber. Stereotype blonde, clueless and into fashion and make-up.

Then there was Nina and Fabian, the two lovebirds, at the table, doing homework together. Nina was smart and pretty, but a little too... _Nina_ for my taste. Fabian was smart and everything, too, so they were a perfect match.

Mick. The athletic guy that made certian girls (Amber, cough cough) squel. Not the smartest guy in the world.

Alphie. My partner in crime. Hilariouse, who could forget the time he swore on his dog he was innocent- when he was allergic the entire time?

Ahhh... my housemates.

* * *

><p>"Did you guys hear where we're going this year?" Mara asked us the next morning, her eyes shining excitidly.<p>

"No, where?" Amber said, slapping her magazine on the sofa and leaning forward.

"Malibu!"

As soon as the word left Mara's lips, it was all over. Amber squeled so loud, I'm sure some of Nina's friends in America covered their ears. "Malibu? That's AMAZING! We can see famouse stars and go too concerts and work on our tans! And who could forget all of the cute American boys?"

"Wait, what trip?" Nina asked.

"At the end of the year, we always go somewhere exciting- last year it was Paris. The year before that it was New York City. You missed it because you had to leave so early to take care of your Gran," explained Fabian.

"Yes!" exclaimed the still-excited Amber. "And we're going to take Malibu by storm!"

**5 reviews or no update. **

**Can't you just imagine Amber's reaction? I think it's kind of funny, in a way. Well, review please! **

**~RosePedal51**


	5. Up in the Air

**This is just basicaly them getting to Malibu. **

**I don't own House of Anubis. **

**_Nina's__ POV_**

"Nina!" Amber cried and spun around to face me, even though I was only a few steps away.

"Yeah?" I turned around to look at her.

"My suitcase won't close!" She said, waving her hands over the hot pink luggage. To prove her point, she tried to zip it up, struggling to barely make any progress at all. "What should I do?" Her glossed lips settled into a pout.

I looked at the overstuffed bag, having a feeling that Amber had had this conversation before. Many times, in fact. "I think you might need to pack less stuff."

"_What?_" Amber shrieked, as if I'd suggested something horrifying. "That's impossible! I need every single thing in here!"

"Maybe not," I answered.

* * *

><p>"I love airports," Mara said te next day as we made our way through the crowd at the- you guessed it- airport.<p>

"I don't," Patricia grumbled, as someone brushed past her. "Watch it!" She called back to him.

We had to wait a long time before we got on the plane.

Everyone was assigned a "plane partner", as Trudy called them, and of course Mick and Mara were one couple, and so were Amber and Alphie. Joy was sick, but would be coming tommorow. I would have partnered up with Patricia, but her and Jerome were really the only ones that could handle each other. And I kind of wanted to be Fabian's partner- we were probably the only ones who wouldn't suffer from "plane fever."

Plane Fever is when people are excited at first, but slowly the excitement fades, and is soon replaced by annoyance and impatience.

Again, we had to wait. The Anubis couples were scattered through out middle class.

"I don't want too be close to those two when we get off," I told Fabian, glancing back at Patricia and Jerome.

"That won't be a very pretty sight," He agreed. They were currently slumped in their seats, Patricia listening to music and Jerome looking at something on his hand. A note he wrote himself on what prank he was going to pull on his partner.

The next few hours passed by with me reading, looking out the window, and pacing so that my leg didn't fall asleep.

I had been just sitting there, looking out the window when I saw it.

"Look, Fabian," I whispered. "That's California."

* * *

><p>"I love being in anywhere besides England," I heard Patricia whisper to herself as we rode in a bright red convertible down the gray road.<p>

Everyone's family made some donations so that we could rent a car for the week that we were here. I'd just donated thirty dollars of my own money- I didn't want to put that on my grandmother. Amber sold one of her designer shirts that she hadn't worn in a year on eBay- and that, combined with our donations, was enough for us to get this gorgeous car.

We looked like something out of a movie, I'm sure, with the radio turned up and all of us laughing and singing along to whatever song was on.

Finally, Jerome (who won the contest to be the driver) parked up in front of a huge hotel.

"Woe," I whispered to myself as I looked up at the tall structure.

* * *

><p>The hotel wasn't as beautiful on the inside as it looked. It probably had three-and-half stars.<p>

Trudy had come with us and was in the room that drew the line between the boys rooms and the girls'. She kind of just kept in her room, though- we had money and a car and ride, so why would she need to be bothered with us?

I was outside, on the balcony, looking out on the beach. The sun was just starting to set, and the sun was really big and red, and the sky was cloudless. The sun was a half-circle over the ocean, which was sparkling and blue-green.

Yeah, the hotel was close to the beach. Not beachside, but close.

I felt that little flutter in my stomache- pure happiness.

"C'mon, Nina!" Amber demanded. "Why are you looking at the view? That's why people post pictures on the Internet! Haven't you heard of Google? Anyway, we're going to go buy bathing suits! We're going to make you _hot_!"

**5 reviews, please. **

**And in the next chapter, they're on the beach. **

**~RosePedal51**


	6. The Golden Coast

**This is when they finally get to the beach! And I might not be right about the scenery!**

**I don't own House of Anubis (or anything else, so don't sue me). **

**_Fabian's_ _POV_  
><strong>**  
><strong>After a breakfast the Waffle House, we all headed to the beach. It wasn't long before we payed and then finally pulled up into the full parking lot.

Everyone practicly leaped out, as if they couldn't wait to jump in the ocean.

When we all got our things (a beach towel for must of us, unless you were Amber, who had a big white beachbag) we headed toward the beach, and the sidewalk was hot enough to boil eggs on. I could feel it through my rubber flip-flops.

"Look!" Came Amber's ear-shattering squeal.

I have to admit, the secenery was impressive- golden sand, sparkling water, and cloudless, bright sky, exactly like it was in the movies.

"Amber, enough of the squealing," said Patricia.

* * *

><p>We had finally found a clear spot on the beach, and I was pulling off my white shirt, when I looked at the girls. And almost had a heart attack.<p>

They had ditched their cover-ups, revealing their bikinis. I mean, it wasn't like they were being rude or anything. How do I put this? They had everything... covered up. That pretty much made them better than ninety percent of the other teenagers.

"C'mon guys!" Nina looked at the ocean, an excited gleam in her eyes.

"Why, is the American happy to see her home?" teased Jerome.

"Yes. Now let's go!"

We took off into the water, the cold ocean crashing down on our legs. The sea water was deathly cold, compared to the hot atmosphere.

"Something's moving under my foot!" screamed Amber.

Nina stopped to look at her for a second. "Amber, that's the sand."

* * *

><p>Fact: When salt gets in your eyes, it stings. Nina kind of forgot to tell us that. We learned that eventually.<p>

Anyway, at the hotel, Mick was pursueing me about going out with Nina.

"It's been a year, Mick," I reasoned with my best mate. "Let it go. Besides, I kind of found another girl I like, and I'm thinking of asking her out."

"What? Since when?"

"The dance."

"You mean that girl you were talking to? Yeah, she's pretty. But still... you're moving on from Nina?" When Mick saw my face, he changed the subject. Well, enough. "So, what's the name of your girl?" He sat back a little.

"Um... I don't know."

Mick looked like he was going to burst out laughing when there was a knock at the door, and the door opened gently.

"Hi," said Joy. "Can I talk to you... alone?"

My roommate nodded and left the hotel room.

"So, what did you come for, Joy?" I asked her.

"To get back my ring," She smiled at me, while my eyes widened.

"You mean... you... you? You're her?"

"Yeah. It's me," Joy the said "The ring's my grandmother's," in an American-British accent. She sounded a little differant than she did at the dance, but I didn't take that into consideration. I was just happy that I had found the beautiful girl from the dance.

"You know that the dance was amazing to me. I fell in love. And now, I'm asking... will you step out with me, Joy?"

**5 reviews before the next update. **

**Evil Joy. The next chapter will probably come soon because I now have inspiration. **

**~RosePedal51**


	7. Reactions

**Usually I don't think of Joy as mean. Sorry.**

**I don't own House of Anubis. **

_**Patricia's** **POV** _

"Patricia! Patricia, guess what!" I looked up from my book (what, I couldn't be smart?) as Joy bounded in and threw herself on the edge of my bed, her eyes gleaming brightly.

"What?" I asked.

"Fabian asked me if I would step out with him!" She squealed.

"He did _what_?" I cried. I knew that Joy was pinning for him, but I mean... weren't he and Nina "secretly" crushing on each other madly? Joy's hope was a lost cause, I'm sorry to say, so Fabian's sudden action surprised me a lot. He wouldn't try to make Nina jealous, and I couldn't see any other reason...

"Asked me out, why?"

"Oh... nothing. I'm just really happy for you," I gave her a smile and went back to reading while she went to go tell Amber her "good news."

* * *

><p>"This is impossible!" Amber said to me, outraged at the fact that Joy and Fabian were together.<p>

"Calm down, Amber. This isn't World War III, just a little mix-up," I replied. My eyes flickered behind her, at the girl coming in. "Sh! It's Joy. Pretend like we're talking about... I don't know, the food here?" She nodded as Joy made her way over.

"I mean, at least put a little salt on the fries!" Amber fake-complained, even though I knew she thought salt was "fattening."

"Hey, guys," Joy smiled and sat in the chair between me and Amber. She was still sunshine-y about her new relationship with Mr. Confuse-Everybody-By-Asking-Out-Joy.

"OMG!" Amber said loudly, thankfully the resturant was empty, "Is that a _promise ring_?" She looked at Joy' fourth finger which, sure enough, had a sparkling, beautiful ring on it. I mean, I knew Fabian asked her out, but being _engaged_ was a whole other level. A completely differant term, actually.

"No, no," She reassured us. "I just dropped my ring at the dance. And he gave it back."

"Ohhhh," said Amber, her trademark for "I said something totally dumb, but now I get it! Thanks!"

* * *

><p>Nina was taking the news pretty good, so far. She'd told me that she was "stupid," which made zero sense, but other than that, she seemed fine. Well, until the all-nighter.<p>

The all-nighter was the only time a year when the guys and girls were allowed in the same room late at night. Trudy was next door, and we not only had to sleep on the opposite ends of the room from anyone of a differant gender, but we also had to get an embarrassing lecture from her about "responsibility" and "trust" and everything.

So it was eight when everyone showed up, and we'd started laying out our sleeping bags.

Mine was already set out, and so was Nina's and Jerome's, while everyone else was getting there's set up.

Finally, ten minutes later, the sun was down and we were gathered around in a circle. This was where the fun started- a game of Truth or Dare. It was cheesy and kind of childish, but very fun.

"Rules!" Nina said. "First, no daring anybody to kiss or hug or anything romantic if they're dating someone already. Second, there can not be a dare that could damage property, people, or the chances to ever get in to college." She shot me and Jerome a quick look. "And finally, no bothering Trudy _too_ much."

"Those are fair," Joy piped up. She somehow knew that Amber was a die-hard Fabina fan.

"Okay. Who goes first?" Jerome asked, and we all looked at each other before Mick said, "I will."

"Jerome. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

Mick shot him a _Payback!_ look, no idea what that was for, before saying, "I dare you to kiss Patricia."

"_What_?" I had cried, shocked and a litle mad, but mostly shocked, while Jerome had yelled, "No way, Cambell!"

"You said dare. This is your dare. If you don't kiss Patricia in the next, oh, thirty seconds, you'll go from King of Pranks to Duke of Scaredy Cats." Mick said simply.

Finally, after an awkward few seconds, my face in an unhappy scowl while Jerome's was bright red, we turned and kissed. It was very short, simple. Sweet. Wait- no it wasn't. It wasn't sweet. I was just happy to have the all-nighter and the fact that Mick finally had a good dare. Right?

After the kiss I turned to the group and asked casually, "So, who's next?"

**5 reviews or no update. **

**I want to have something exciting every day, so suggestions would help! Thanks and review!**

**~RosePedal51**


	8. Staying Up All Night

**This is the all-nighter, the entire thing. **

**I don't own House of Anubis. **

**_Jerome's__ POV_**

"I want to go," said Amber, giving me and Patricia a few looks but continueing on in her clueless voice, "And this is for Nina. Okay, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

Good choice. Amber's question would be, I would bet my life, _Nina, do you like Fabian?_ or something.

"I, um, dare you too... ask Trudy for some anti-bacterial itch cream?" Amber said, making for once a decent dare, and we all watched Nina get up, walk out the door, and we were silent so we could hear: "Trudy, I hate to bother you, but can I bother some anti-bacterial itch cream?"

"Why, of course, I have some in my suitcase..."

A few seconds later, Nina came in holding a white tube.

We cracked all chuckled, and there was even a giggle from Mara or Amber.

"Okay, so I choose... Joy. Truth or Dare?"

Uh-oh.

"Truth," Joy answered.

"Where did you get that ring?" Nina asked. Her face was catious, a tiny bit smug, but mostly worried by her answer.

"Oh, you know," Joy said politely. Nina was making her sweat (metaphorically), and it was obvious. "My, um, Gran. She gave it to me for luck and everything, since we only have one dance a year. She's into all of that "first time" stuff. Mara? Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"How long did you like Mick?"

"When we started hanging out, about. When I was tutoring him. So, um, why don't we stop this game?"

"Agreed," I said quickly. The last thing I needed was to kiss Patricia _three_ times a week and wonder whether or not I belonged in a loony hut. Well, I guess I never thought I'd have said that. So while Alphie ran to get some freaky movie, we spread out a little more.

"Got it!" He cried, holding up the DVD and messing around with the TV before the screen finally darkened.

"_Some people think that what they see is what is real. They think that if everything in their world is perfect, everything everywhere else is perfect, too. They forget about homeless children in Africa, broken-hearted people, and worst of all... the supernatural_," said the narrator in a dark, dull voice.

The screen brightened a little, and the movie started. It was about four kids who got tied into the mystery somehow, and there was evidence of a ghost, psychopathic killer, aliens, the whole deal.

It was pretty scary, at some points. Some made me jump, some made me think "pradictable."

After two hours (it was the killer and a dead woman's ghost trying to warn people... nice twist), the credits started to roll up the screen.

"That was so wierd!" Amber said. "I mean, would the so-called tomboy's hair be so perfect?"

"It's a movie," Patricia half-snapped, half-reminded the ditzy blonde. "And you can't be on a movie unless you look perfect, no matter what your personality is." I turned my head, realising she was on my right, close to Mara, as far away from Amber as she could be (understandable. The last all-nighter, Amber had done Patricia's make-up, making her look girly, and let's just say.. when Patricia was done with her the next morning, she looked even Goth-er than Patricia ever did).

"Oh, yeah!" Amber said. She settled into her sleeping bag and everyone else was quite. A few minutes passed, and a few people fell asleep.

Joy, Nina, Amber, Mick, Alphie, and I'm not sure about Mara. I wasn't falling asleep before anyone else, which seemed easy enough. I stayed silent for about ten minutes, allowing the others to fall asleep. I was convinced everyone was sleeping, until I saw a light.

Looking over, I realised it was Patricia's iPod Touch, which she was bent over so it didn't wake anyone up.

"Go to bed!" I whisper-shouted.

"What? Like one o'clock is your record," She replied. "I know for a fact that just last week you stayed up until two in the morning just to pull that prank on Mara."

"How do you know?"

"I have my ways," She smirked at me, but turned her iPod off. Finally, I'd be able to sleep!

* * *

><p>"We're going to a <em>what<em>?" I cried at Trudy.

"You heard me," The housemother said. She'd just told us where we were supposed to go that night, and I didn't know if it was the lack of sleep or what that was getting to me.

"And you're telling us now?" Patricia asked.

"Dears, I wasn't born yesterday. I know that half of you would pretend to be sick."

A mummer of "True's" or "So what's?" were heard from the group, and Trudy smiled and left.

"This'll be sooo fun!" squeled Amber, and I rolled my eyes. Anything that Amber thought was fun was bound to be a disaster.

**5 reviews for the next update. **

**I'm going to have you find out where they're going, and then have them go there in the next chapter. **

**~RosePedal51**


	9. Benefits of Being Me

**Suki17 sent me this idea when I asked for some, so the credit for that goes to him/her (I'm not sure, so this'll work for now). **

**I don't own House of Anubis. **

**_Nina's__ POV_**

"This is going to be so fun!" Amber chirped, while the girls were all getting ready together. "Two fancy event in a week!"

"It's only a benefit," I reminded the blonde.

"For the homeless," chimed in Mara.

"And it's not even fancy," stated Patricia.

"More of a thing we're being forced into," agreed Joy.

"Whatever!" Amber said cheerily, her mood not tainted whatsoever.

* * *

><p>"Ready?" I asked the girls.<p>

"One second!" Amber said, then put on some more lip gloss, fixed her already perfect hair, and stood up from her seat. "Okay, let's go!"

We were all dressed in minidresses, low heels, and we kept the jewelry to a minimum. The guys were dressed in jeans and nice shirts. Amber had convinced some people to go out and put the hood to the car up, which meant that the first time we went over a speed bump my head hit the roof.

"Sorry, guys," Jerome would say and grin wickidly at us.

"Why is he driving again?" Patricia asked when he drove over yet another bump.

"Because, Trixie, I am awesome," He said seriously.

Patricia snorted.

* * *

><p>The benefit was enormouse. It was all white- white tablecloths, walls, floors- except for purple violets that were scattered around the room. The hundreds (thousands?) of guests were all talking and drinking water from sparkly wine glasses.<p>

"Are we the only teenagers here?" I asked the person next to me. Fabian.

"I think so," He answered.

I wandered away from him, still feeling betrayed about the whole him/Joy thing. I reminded myself that Joy had convinced him that she who he danced with at the masquarade ball.

But no worries, I was determined to reveal the truth to him by the end of the week, if I ever got the courage to.

Anyway, for the next seventeen minutes I managed to keep my sanity by talking with Amber, Mara, and Paricia, and I even let Alphie ramble on about "what we need to do to protect ourselves from alien species." Honestly, I was a tiny bit impressed that he'd used those words, then felt bad and went to my seat.

For a minute I sat there, just thinking. You know, about random things, like what enfinity really meant and how God was older than time.

Finally, a stiff man with gelled-down black hair stepped up to the microphone on the stage.

"Attencion, please," He said. The chatter died down. "Please take your seats." He waited for a second while everyone calmly walked toward their white chairs. "Okay," continued the man, "I would like to present... Mrs. Carolina Jane Ladder!"

The audience auplauded politely while a woman in a fancy light green, wrap-around dress stapped up.

"Hello," She said. Her accent was British. "I'm Carolina, obviously. Here at the Save the Homeless Foundation, we believe everyone deserves a chance." Carolina smiled and continued on, making a good speech, but I was still tired from last night.

Clapping errupted, louder I'm sure she recognized with satisfaction.

Then we were dismissed to enjoy the buffette.

The line was incredibely long, but I waited patiently while Amber kept talking about how big of a step to see Patricia in something besides gray, blue, or black.

I raised an eyebrow. "Amber, she's wearing dark green. And just yesterday she had on a bronze-ish colored shirt."

"Exactly!" Amber cried, leaving me confused.

Then a band, some no-name guys that were decent with music, went on the stage and started playing what we Americans would call "a slow song."

An older couple was the first to get on the dance floor, waltzing across it gracefully. Then came in some more couples, until I saw a familiar one. It was Fabian and Joy. Joy was a mave-around-the-dance-floor type of dancer, which was actually one of the things that set us apart. I liked not having to worry about stepping on someone's feet.

Fabian seemed to have realised that, gave Joy some odd looks, but otherwise did nothing.

That, right there was when I made my vow. _By the time we go home, Fabian'll know the truth. _

**5 reviews before the next update. **

**More ideas please? Thanks!**

**~RosePedal51**


	10. Stable

**Who else is watching Season 2? It's so cool! **

**I don't own House of Anubis.**

**_Fabian's_ _POV_ **

Something's... off with Joy. She dances differantly.

And yeah, some people would just wave that away. But at the dance, she was so sweet, like she wanted to just dance in the corner, in our own little seperate world. But at the benefit? It was more... "I don't care who watches." And we didn't even talk, so it was awkward.

How could it be awkward?

I just didn't _get_ it. It was as if she was an entirely differant person.

* * *

><p>"So where are we going?" I asked the next morning.<p>

"We're going to Park Place Stables!"

"What?"

"It's this amazing place that can give beginners and advanced horseback riders offers to ride on the beach." Nina explained, smiling.

She looked so beautiful when she smiled. _Woah, where'd that thought come from?_ Shaking it off, I said, "Sounds great," and took Joy's hand. But not because I needed to remind myself why I liked her or anything. Not at all.

Anyway, we all practicaly scarfed down our food, before hopping in the car and try to figure out where Park Place Stables was.

Nina knew, so of course we expected her to drive.

I guess Jerome as tired, because he didn't put up much of a fight- Patricia stepped right in and made sure Nina had the shiny silver car keys.

The minutes ticked by in silence. We couldn't even listen to music because we couldn't decide on a station- half of us were for country, half for pop. And when we tried to mix the two together...? Let's just say that murder was a definit option.

Anyway, it wasn't very long before she pulled up to our destination.

The stables were a creamy light brown, with all kinds of horses sticking there heads out of small windows. Everything looked so neat and orderly- the freshly mowed acres and acres of green lawn, polished wood structure, and freshly groomed animals (including the small dog, tied loosly to a post).

* * *

><p>I'd rode a horse before, and so had Nina, but everyone else didn't really have any experience.<p>

I think the others caught on pretty quickly, except for Amber- she said that there was no way she was going to sit on a dirty old leather seat so high up.

After a few encouraging words from Alphie and Nina, some threats from Patricia ("I know where you keep your make-up," "Your new Gucci dress depends on it," ect.) we managed to pry her onto the horse. After that, we kept a slow, steady pace.

The weather was nice, and the dog was barking distantly, so things were pretty "romantic."

I held Joy's hand- mostly because she wanted me to, because it just felt so odd. To me, it was more comfortable to have both hands on the saddle.

Some things Joy just... didn't understand. If I could, I would just open up her head, pour the knowledge in and seal it back up.

But, unfortunatly, I couldn't, so I just remembered the spark I'd felt at the dance.

We finished off the few laps around the fenced- in area and saw a woman waiting at the barn, who obviously worked there.

She had blonde hair with brown streaks in it and was wearing some average clothes, jeans and a t-shirt, and she had a straw hat on her head. Her nose was slightly sunburnt and she was leaning casually on the bottom part of the door.

"Hello," Her face broke into a smile when we stopped in front of her. "I'm Ellie, and you must be the Anubis students?"

We nodded, and she made a big speech about the history of Park Place Stables. Everyone had zoned out when Ellie finally stopped for a breath and took us inside.

The horses there were gorgeous. My favorite was Dewdrop- a soft brown one with a white exclamation point on his nozzle.

"Can you believe this, Fabes?" Joy asked sweetly.

_No, I can't,_ I felt like sighing.

**5 reviews before the next update. **

**So there are about 6 more chapter in this story. Sounds like a lot, I know... **

**~RosePedal51**


End file.
